Jeremiah 13-14

Jeremiah 13-14New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

The Linen Loincloth

13 Thus said the Lord to me, “Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth, and put it on your loins, but do not dip it in water.” 2 So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loins. 3 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the loincloth that you bought and are wearing, and go now to the Euphrates,[a] and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.” 5 So I went, and hid it by the Euphrates,[b] as the Lord commanded me. 6 And after many days the Lord said to me, “Go now to the Euphrates,[c] and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates,[d] and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. But now the loincloth was ruined; it was good for nothing.

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 Thus says the Lord: Just so I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own will and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing. 11 For as the loincloth clings to one’s loins, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord, in order that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory. But they would not listen.

Symbol of the Wine-Jars

12 You shall speak to them this word: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Every wine-jar should be filled with wine. And they will say to you, “Do you think we do not know that every wine-jar should be filled with wine?” 13 Then you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with drunkenness. 14 And I will dash them one against another, parents and children together, says the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion when I destroy them.

Exile Threatened

15 Hear and give ear; do not be haughty,for the Lord has spoken.16 Give glory to the Lord your Godbefore he brings darkness,and before your feet stumbleon the mountains at twilight;while you look for light,he turns it into gloomand makes it deep darkness.17 But if you will not listen,my soul will weep in secret for your pride;my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears,because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.

18 Say to the king and the queen mother:“Take a lowly seat,for your beautiful crownhas come down from your head.”[e]19 The towns of the Negeb are shut upwith no one to open them;all Judah is taken into exile,wholly taken into exile.

20 Lift up your eyes and seethose who come from the north.Where is the flock that was given you,your beautiful flock?21 What will you say when they set as head over youthose whom you have trainedto be your allies?Will not pangs take hold of you,like those of a woman in labor?22 And if you say in your heart,“Why have these things come upon me?”it is for the greatness of your iniquitythat your skirts are lifted up,and you are violated.23 Can Ethiopians[f] change their skinor leopards their spots?Then also you can do goodwho are accustomed to do evil.24 I will scatter you[g] like chaffdriven by the wind from the desert.25 This is your lot,the portion I have measured out to you, says the Lord,because you have forgotten meand trusted in lies.26 I myself will lift up your skirts over your face,and your shame will be seen.27 I have seen your abominations,your adulteries and neighings, your shameless prostitutionson the hills of the countryside.Woe to you, O Jerusalem!How long will it bebefore you are made clean?

The Great Drought

14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

2 Judah mournsand her gates languish;they lie in gloom on the ground,and the cry of Jerusalem goes up.3 Her nobles send their servants for water;they come to the cisterns,they find no water,they return with their vessels empty.They are ashamed and dismayedand cover their heads,4 because the ground is cracked.Because there has been no rain on the landthe farmers are dismayed;they cover their heads.5 Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawnbecause there is no grass.6 The wild asses stand on the bare heights,[h]they pant for air like jackals;their eyes failbecause there is no herbage.

7 Although our iniquities testify against us,act, O Lord, for your name’s sake;our apostasies indeed are many,and we have sinned against you.8 O hope of Israel,its savior in time of trouble,why should you be like a stranger in the land,like a traveler turning aside for the night?9 Why should you be like someone confused,like a mighty warrior who cannot give help?Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us,and we are called by your name;do not forsake us!

10 Thus says the Lord concerning this people:Truly they have loved to wander,they have not restrained their feet;therefore the Lord does not accept them,now he will remember their iniquityand punish their sins.

11 The Lord said to me: Do not pray for the welfare of this people. 12 Although they fast, I do not hear their cry, and although they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I do not accept them; but by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence I consume them.

Denunciation of Lying Prophets

13 Then I said: “Ah, Lord God! Here are the prophets saying to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you true peace in this place.’” 14 And the Lord said to me: The prophets are prophesying lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name though I did not send them, and who say, “Sword and famine shall not come on this land”: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. 16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword. There shall be no one to bury them—themselves, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their wickedness upon them.

17 You shall say to them this word:Let my eyes run down with tears night and day,and let them not cease,for the virgin daughter—my people—is struck down with a crushing blow,with a very grievous wound.18 If I go out into the field,look—those killed by the sword!And if I enter the city,look—those sick with[i] famine!For both prophet and priest ply their trade throughout the land,and have no knowledge.

The People Plead for Mercy

19 Have you completely rejected Judah?Does your heart loathe Zion?Why have you struck us downso that there is no healing for us?We look for peace, but find no good;for a time of healing, but there is terror instead.20 We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord,the iniquity of our ancestors,for we have sinned against you.21 Do not spurn us, for your name’s sake;do not dishonor your glorious throne;remember and do not break your covenant with us.22 Can any idols of the nations bring rain?Or can the heavens give showers?Is it not you, O Lord our God?We set our hope on you,for it is you who do all this.

Sirach 12

Sirach 12New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

12 If you do good, know to whom you do it,and you will be thanked for your good deeds.2 Do good to the devout, and you will be repaid—if not by them, certainly by the Most High.3 No good comes to one who persists in evilor to one who does not give alms.4 Give to the devout, but do not help the sinner.5 Do good to the humble, but do not give to the ungodly;hold back their bread, and do not give it to them,for by means of it they might subdue you;then you will receive twice as much evilfor all the good you have done to them.6 For the Most High also hates sinnersand will inflict punishment on the ungodly.[a]7 Give to the one who is good, but do not help the sinner.8 A friend is not known[b] in prosperity,nor is an enemy hidden in adversity.9 One’s enemies are friendly[c] when one prospers,but in adversity even one’s friend disappears.10 Never trust your enemy,for like corrosion in copper, so is his wickedness.11 Even if he humbles himself and walks bowed down,take care to be on your guard against him.Be to him like one who polishes a mirror,to be sure it does not become completely tarnished.12 Do not put him next to you,or he may overthrow you and take your place.Do not let him sit at your right hand,or else he may try to take your own seat,and at last you will realize the truth of my words,and be stung by what I have said.

13 Who pities a snake charmer when he is bitten,or all those who go near wild animals?14 So no one pities a person who associates with a sinnerand becomes involved in the other’s sins.15 He stands by you for a while,but if you falter, he will not be there.16 An enemy speaks sweetly with his lips,but in his heart he plans to throw you into a pit;an enemy may have tears in his eyes,but if he finds an opportunity he will never have enough of your blood.17 If evil comes upon you, you will find him there ahead of you;pretending to help, he will trip you up.18 Then he will shake his head, and clap his hands,and whisper much, and show his true face.

Footnotes:

Sirach 12:6Other ancient authorities add and he is keeping them for the day of their punishment

John 1:24-51

John 1:24-51New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah,[a] nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”[b]

The First Disciples of Jesus

35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed[c]). 42 He brought Simon[d] to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter[e]).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you,[f] you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

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